Coverage Database
Insurance Coverage Database
Common coverages a drone services / data company may carry. Use this to identify gaps and make renewal decisions.
Coverage Reference Database
| Coverage Type | Priority | Typical for TDC? | What It Covers | Why It Matters | Common Limits / Notes | Typical Requested By | Do We Carry? | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workers' Compensation | Required | Yes | Employee medical/lost wage benefits for work-related injury or illness. | Required for employee-based field operations and many contractor prequalifications. | Statutory by state. | Most industrial/construction customers | Yes | Maintain and keep certificates current. |
| Employer's Liability | Required | Yes | Employer lawsuit exposure related to employee injuries, usually tied to workers' comp. | Often appears right below workers' comp on COIs. | Common limits: $1M each accident/disease; large contractors may ask for $2M. | Industrial/construction customers | TBD | Confirm current limits with broker. |
| Commercial General Liability | Required | Yes | Third-party bodily injury, property damage, products/completed operations, contractual liability. | Baseline business liability and common customer requirement. | Common: $1M occurrence / $2M aggregate; larger contracts may request $5M. | Nearly all commercial customers | Yes | Confirm endorsements: additional insured, waiver, primary/non-contributory. |
| Aviation / UAS Liability | Required | Yes | Drone-related third-party liability from flight operations. | CGL often excludes aviation exposures; this protects the core flight risk. | $1M-$5M common; higher for industrial/utility/energy work. | Industrial, construction, utilities, municipalities | Yes | Confirm aggregate, covered aircraft, pilots, payloads, and additional insured wording. |
| Commercial Auto Liability | Required | Yes | Liability from company vehicles and jobsite travel. | Vehicle risk is a major field operations exposure. | $1M CSL common; $2M requested by some contractors. | Construction/industrial customers | Yes | Confirm hired and non-owned auto coverage. |
| Hired & Non-Owned Auto | High | Yes | Liability when employees use personal/rented vehicles for business. | Useful when employees drive personal vehicles to jobs or rent vehicles. | Often included by endorsement under auto or CGL. | Customers with site access requirements | TBD | Confirm included in auto policy. |
| Umbrella / Excess Liability | High | Maybe | Additional limits above underlying policies. | Often required by larger contractors, but ROI depends on how often it unlocks work. | $1M, $2M, $5M, $10M common tiers. | Large industrial, utility, energy, general contractors | No | Get annual quotes and track customer requests before buying. |
| Professional Liability / E&O | High | Likely | Claims arising from errors in professional services, data, maps, measurements, volumes, reports, or advice. | Important as TDC sells data deliverables, stockpile reports, topo products, and processing services. | $1M-$2M common for small professional firms. | Engineering, survey-adjacent, enterprise customers | TBD | Request drone/geospatial-specific E&O quote. |
| Technology E&O | Medium | Maybe | Claims from software/platform failures, data processing errors, or hosted technology services. | Relevant to Drone Service Pro, client portals, and automated processing/reporting products. | Often paired with cyber. | SaaS customers, enterprise buyers | TBD | Evaluate for Drone Service Pro separately from service company. |
| Cyber Liability | Medium | Likely | Breach response, ransomware, data loss, privacy claims, funds transfer fraud. | Growing risk as deliverables, customer data, portals, and payment systems move online. | $1M common starting point. | Enterprise customers, SaaS customers | TBD | Quote cyber coverage and evaluate controls requirements. |
| Inland Marine / Equipment Floater | High | Yes | Drones, payloads, cameras, sensors, laptops, and equipment in transit/offsite. | Protects expensive field equipment that may not be covered by property policy. | Schedule high-value items; confirm theft-from-vehicle limits. | Internal risk management | TBD | Build equipment schedule and confirm coverage/deductibles. |
| Drone Hull Coverage | Medium | Maybe | Physical damage to specific drones/payloads. | Useful for high-value aircraft/payloads but premiums can be high. | Often scheduled per aircraft/payload. | Internal risk management | TBD | Evaluate based on replacement cost and loss history. |
| Commercial Property / BPP | Medium | Yes | Office contents and business personal property at scheduled locations. | Protects office assets, computers, fixtures, and inventory. | Limits based on replacement value. | Landlord/lender/internal | TBD | Confirm property/BOP coverage. |
| Business Interruption | Medium | Maybe | Lost income and extra expense from a covered property loss. | Important if an office/equipment loss disrupts operations. | Often tied to property coverage. | Internal/lenders | TBD | Evaluate after property coverage is confirmed. |
| Employment Practices Liability (EPLI) | Medium | Yes as team grows | Wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation claims. | More important as employee count and management layers grow. | $1M common starting point. | Internal risk management | TBD | Quote as employee count grows. |
| Crime / Employee Dishonesty | Medium | Maybe | Employee theft, forgery, funds transfer fraud, social engineering depending on policy. | Useful for small companies with payments, cards, and equipment access. | Limits vary widely; social engineering often sublimited. | Internal/finance | TBD | Evaluate with cyber/fidelity package. |
| Media Liability | Low-Medium | Maybe | Claims from published media: copyright, defamation, privacy, likeness, advertising injury gaps. | Relevant to creative/video work and client-published marketing assets. | May be part of E&O or specialty media policy. | Creative clients/agencies | TBD | Ask broker whether CGL/E&O covers media work. |
| Pollution Liability | Low | Rare | Pollution cleanup/third-party environmental claims. | Usually not central to drone services unless working with hazardous sites or causing spill-related claims. | Can be project-specific. | Industrial sites | No | Only quote if contract requires it. |
| Directors & Officers (D&O) | Low | Maybe later | Claims against company leadership by investors, lenders, or stakeholders. | More relevant with outside investors, board, or fundraising. | $1M+ common. | Investors/lenders | No | Not urgent unless ownership/financing changes. |
| Key Person Life / Disability | Strategic | Yes for owner-led business | Protects business continuity if a critical owner/leader dies or becomes disabled. | TDC is owner-led; this is continuity and lender-risk planning more than customer compliance. | Limit based on debt, payroll runway, and transition needs. | Internal/lenders | TBD | Consider as part of continuity planning. |
Decision Guidance
- Required coverages should be maintained continuously and kept COI-ready.
- High priority coverages should be reviewed at renewal and whenever a customer request reveals a repeat gap.
- Medium priority coverages should be evaluated based on growth, new services, and customer requirements.
- Low priority coverages should generally be quoted only if a specific contract requires them.
COO Rule
Track demand before buying expensive coverage. If a missing policy repeatedly blocks profitable work, buy it. If it only appears once and the customer accepts a waiver, document the exception and move on.
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